Kuwait's leader Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah received a telephone call by Bush, who "condemned the aggressive actions of the Iraqi regime against Kuwait and the launching of missiles against its citizens, residents and vital installations," said Kuwait's official news agency KUNA.

Kuwait, whose seven-month occupation by Iraq was ended by a US-led coalition in 1991, is the only Arab country to openly back the war aimed at toppling Saddam Hussein. It has served as the launching pad for thousands of US and British troops.

Some 18 missiles have been fired at Kuwait since the start of the war in Iraq, but they have caused relatively little damage.

Bush also talked about the Iraq conflict in a separate telephone call to Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani of Qatar, which hosts the US Central Command directing the war, the official Qatar News Agency said.

SPACE.WIRE